Draco's Curse
by Evans17
Summary: A mysterious entity comes to Draco Malfoy in a dream and causes him, to his horror, to fall in love with Hermione Granger.
1. Chapter 1: The Curse

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to J. K. Rowling. Any text from her books is italicized. **

Draco's Curse

Chapter 1

Draco Malfoy sat on his bed in the Hospital Wing, playing up his injury from the Hippogriff for all he was worth. Pansy Parkinson, his slightly obsessed stalker, was practically crying over him. "Poor Draco... Does it hurt awfully?" She was a pureblood, after all, so he decided to turn up the drama.

"Uhhhh..." he moaned, clutching his arm. "It hurts, Pansy..."

She threw herself at him. "Oh Draco! How _could_ they let that stupid oaf teach?" After a couple of minutes of this, however, he grew bored, and so he feigned sleep until he heard her tiptoe away. He sat up and rubbed the hurt arm. It did hurt, actually. Not so much as he made it out to, of course, but still... He lay down again. He was tired, but the dull ache in his arm was making it hard to sleep. He tossed and turned, and finally fell asleep around midnight.

He had a very strange dream. He was floating around in the dark, with nothing to hold onto or stand on. He heard, as though from a great distance, a voice speaking in desperation. _"I've got to do it! He'll kill me! He'll kill my whole family!"_ The voice was oddly familiar, he thought lazily. Then a very different voice spoke inside his head.

"Well, well. You do need some help, don't you?"

The dream Draco jumped-or the equivalent when there is no gravity. "Who's there?" he asked, and his voice sounded weak and reedy in the emptiness. The voice chortled.

"Ah, Malfoy, Malfoy... What you need, my boy, is love. Someone who will provide the cool logic, the reasoning and compassion. Yes, yes, I have it! This girl-this girl will be the key." An image of a young girl floated in front of Draco's eyes. It took a few minutes for her identity to register, as her hair was sleek and shiny rather than bushy, and she was wearing a purple dress that was really quite flattering. Then he saw who it was.

"No," he said sluggishly. "Not the mudblood..." The voice laughed again, coldly this time.

"You'd better watch yourself, lad. I don't appreciate being contradicted, and by the time this day is over, you're never going to want to use that word again." The voice was fading.

"Wait, I don't understand," he whined. The voice did not respond, and he awoke with his heart pounding. Only a dream, he reminded himself. It was only a dream... Even so, he didn't sleep again that night.

**Author's Note: **If you don't know who the girl is, I'm not going to tell you. So, what do you think? This is still a very tentative idea, so tell me whether I should continue or just trash it.


	2. Chapter 2: First Sight

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to J. K. Rowling. Any text from her books is italicized. **

Draco's Curse

Chapter 2

The next day, Madam Pomfrey allowed Draco to go down to breakfast in the Great Hall. He was sitting next to an attentive Pansy, recounting the tale of his attack yet again for her adoring friends, when he looked up at the Gryffindor table and stopped short. Hermione Granger was talking and laughing with Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, that was nothing new, of course. But as she threw her head back and laughed freely, he was struck dumb. She was _beautiful_. The curve of her neck as she tilted her head, the thick hair flowing down her back, her rosy lips parted wide. He stared for a moment, than shook himself. What was wrong with him? She was a Gryffindor, as well as a _mudblood_. She was disgusting, he reminded himself. Mudbloods were disgusting. Still, she looked beautiful today... And what was a mudblood, really? Just a name that his father impressed on him? He looked away quickly and continued his story, relieved that no one had noticed his pause.

Next class was Potions, Draco's personal favorite. He wasn't entirely sure _why_ Professor Snape hated Harry Potter so much, but it was certainly amusing. This class in particular was great. He used his arm as a reason for Weasley and Potter to have to prepare his ingredients. Halfway through class, he made the mistake of looking over at Granger again. She was stirring her potion slowly, gracefully, and the steam rising from her cauldron shrouded her face in beautiful mist. He saw her absently start to pour armadillo bile into her cauldron, and before he could stop himself, he had reached out and grabbed her wrist gently in his fingers.

He felt her pulse flutter under his fingers. Her arm was delicate and beautiful. "Stop!" he said to her. She stared at him in utter confusion, while both Weasley and Potter watched him suspiciously. "You were-you were about to add too much armadillo bile," he stuttered as explanation. They were all still staring at him, so he continued, "It would have exploded. It could have caused permanent skin damage."

She glared at him. "As if I'd believe that, Malfoy! What were you trying to do?" Everyone was watching them. Even Snape looked astounded.

"Mr. Malfoy is right, Miss Granger," he said. "I saw you at the last moment. Had he not stopped you, you might very well have suffered permanent skin damage." Potter was still looking very suspicious, while Weasley looked furious and confused at the same time. Pansy had her mouth hanging open, and all the Slytherins were staring at him in confusion and disgust. What had he done? He quickly tried to cover up.

"Much as it would have been amusing to see you covered in permanent pustules and boils, Granger," he drawled, "The potion might have touched me, and I don't want to risk that..." Potter was still watching him with narrowed eyes, but everyone else looked satisfied. Good, he thought, but what was he going to do about his newfound affection for Granger?

**Author's Note: ** Please review and let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3: Change of Heart?

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to J. K. Rowling. Any text from her books is italicized. **

Draco's Curse

Chapter 3

The next day, he came down to breakfast just in time to see Granger storming out of the great hall, her eyes glistening with tears. Weasley was watching her go defiantly. Draco got up and followed her to where she sat crying under a tree by the lake. He watched for a few minutes, then stepped out into the light.

"Granger?" She jumped up, then seeing who it was, sat back down.

"Piss off, Malfoy. I can't deal with you right now."

He smiled gently. "I'm not here to insult you, Hermione." She hid her face in her hands. "Go away, Malfoy." Then she paused, lifting her head. "Did you just call me Hermione?" He nodded. She stared at him. "Why?"

He shrugged. She looked at him suspiciously. "What the hell do you want, Malfoy? Just tell me and then leave me alone." He looked hurt. "I just want to know why you were crying, Granger. That's all. No ulterior motives, I promise." He held up his hands as if to show he had nothing to hide. She was looking utterly bewildered. "I-well, if you must know, I was crying because Ron was being an utter jerk. He keeps accusing me of letting my cat attack his rat..." She trailed off, staring out past the lake with glistening eyes. He was suddenly furious with Weasley. What right did he have to make this beautiful girl so unhappy?

"Would you like me to go hex him? Because I will..." he broke off as he realized what he was saying. She was staring at him wide eyed. "Do you need to visit the hospital wing, Malfoy?" she blurted out. He was confused. "No, why?"

"Well, you're being...nice."

"Oh, thanks."

'No! I mean, you're acting, well, decent to me. You've never done that before."

"Maybe I've had a change of heart." She giggled nervously, then when he began to laugh, she laughed too, in earnest. Then, wiping her eyes, she looked towards the castle. "I'd better go," she said reluctantly. "I have class..."

He nodded. "Me too. I'll see you around, Granger."

"See you around, Malfoy." She got up and walked towards the school, her brown hair swinging beautifully on her back. He tore his gaze away and walked down to Care of Magical Creatures, his next class. All class he was distracted. Even Pansy imitating Hagrid behind his back grew dull. All he could think about was Granger's almost-friendly smile when she was speaking to him. She had never looked at him like that before...and it brought out a side of her he had never seen before. When he went up to his bed that night and closed his eyes, the only thing he saw was Granger. Her image seemed imprinted on his eyelids.

**Author's Note: **Reviews?


	4. Chapter 4: For Both Their Sakes

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to J. K. Rowling. Any text from her books is italicized. **

Draco's Curse

Chapter 4

The next day, Draco was sitting down at breakfast when he noticed that Granger and Weasley were still glaring at each other. He _really _hated that red-haired bastard. He had such a beautiful girl right at his fingertips, and he alienated her for petty reasons. The blood traitor didn't have to worry about his parents not approving of her, and he certainly didn't have to worry about his father maybe killing her if he so much as touched her. He had everything, and he threw it away, Draco fumed silently to himself. What a _bastard_. He watched as Weasley again upset her to the point where she rushed out of the hall, tears flowing freely down her face. He put down his fork and followed her quietly. She was sitting under the tree again, holding her knees to his chest. Tears were coursing down her face. She looked pitiful. He had the urge to go back in and kill the goddamn blood traitor, right then and there, but before he could move, she looked up and spotted him.

"Malfoy?" she said softly, raising her tear-stained face to see him. He nodded. "Weasley again?"

"Yes. I don't understand how he can be so awful. I know Crookshanks hasn't done _anything_ to Scabbers, but he insists he killed him. He won't listen to me, and he insulted me to Lavender yesterday... Harry's just as bad. He knows I'm right, but his friendship with Ron is more important to him..." She was rambling, but he didn't mind. She needed someone to talk to, and he liked listening to her. He sat down beside her, and she smiled tearfully at him. "I don't get you, Malfoy. You insult me all the time, you hate me and my friends, or anyone of my birth for that matter, and yet you're being so nice! I just don't get it."

He was silent as he contemplated this. She was all too right... He should be staying away from her, for both their sakes. He thought quickly. How could he stay away from her? How could he leave now? He jumped up and put his coat on. "You're right, mudblood," he sneered at her. "I shouldn't even sully my ears with your foul words!" Her eyes widened and once more filled with tears as she stared up at him. "But..." she whispered slowly. "But... I thought..."

Though it pained him more than he could ever admit to do so, he spoke again, cruelly, coldly. "Thought what? That I would be the friend of a filthy mudblood like you? That I would comfort you when the blood traitor hurts your feelings? Well think again, Granger. I'm not some fluffy, sweet Hufflepuff! I'm a Slytherin, and don't you forget it." He walked away quickly, and though he could feel her wounded stare boring into his back, he did not turn.

**Author's Note: **Please review! I need to know what you think before I can update... Sorry it's so short, but this was the best place to end it. The next one will be longer, I promise.


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